Manufacturing Operations Project Leader

FTE Factory Advisors; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Factory Advisors is seeking a Project Manager - Manufacturing Operations Consultant to lead on-site client engagements across North America, guiding operational transformation with Lean, digital tools, and frontline coaching. You will drive KPIs, ROI analyses, and cross-functional teamwork to deliver measurable improvements.

The role requires 10–20 years of leadership experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering, with heavy emphasis on project management, coaching, and stakeholder

Qualifications

• 10 - 20 years of diverse work experience as a manager within one or more of the following disciplines: Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, Factory Operations, Industrial Engineering, Supply Chain, or Quality Engineering
• Experience managing projects, including project controls, budget, and resource planning
• Strong passion for coaching and mentoring others
• Strong leadership and management skills leading high-performance senior teams
• Passion for coaching others to use their knowledge and skills to overcome challenges

Responsibilities

• Client-facing project oversight and leadership
• Maintain resource utilization against project budget and expected deliverables (scope)
• Compile and deliver clean, concise reports using standard Microsoft Office tools
• Collaborate with clients to determine appropriate KPIs to measure improvement activity
• Develop objective cost-benefit analysis to document and demonstrate clear ROI
• Monitor project performance, identify risks, and recommend countermeasures as necessary
• Monitor and positively influence Sr. Advisors to ensure alignment with FTE's delivery standards
• Actively seek additional opportunities to support clients outside of the existing scope of work
• Maintain day-to-day client communications, and on-site activity, to ensure client satisfaction
• Actively engage as a Sr. Advisor in case delivery when project scope or staffing requires
• Lead Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement initiatives within manufacturing environments, using Lean methodologies and structured problem-solving
• Diagnose operational performance gaps through Gemba observation, KPI analysis, root-cause analysis, and frontline engagement
• Deliver measurable manufacturing results through improvements in throughput, lead time, OTD, quality, rework, inventory, labor productivity, cost, and capacity
• Positively promote FTE's value proposition and services
• Identify opportunities for new or expanded business
• Support FTE Case Managers and Principals in building out project approach, staffing, and translating customer pain points into new business opportunities
• Determine project loading and staffing models to support this approach
• Continuously work to develop, document, and improve FTE business processes and our approach and output for client case work
• Participate in annual business planning and internal project execution
• Participate in vetting of candidates seeking to join FTE's Core Team or Advisory Network
• Bachelor's degree is required, or equivalent years of work experience; MBA is preferred

Skills

Project leadership

Budget & resource planning

Team coaching

Client relations

KPI/ROI analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

MBA preferred

Job description

Factory Advisors is seeking a Project Manager - Manufacturing Operations Consultant to lead on-site client engagements across North America, guiding operational transformation with Lean, digital tools, and frontline coaching. You will drive KPIs, ROI analyses, and cross-functional teamwork to deliver measurable improvements.

The role requires 10–20 years of leadership experience in manufacturing or industrial engineering, with heavy emphasis on project management, coaching, and stakeholder